dognovel Chapter 473 Shi Qing is injured
Chapter 473 Shi Qing is injured
Inside the imperial study, Shen Yuxi gazed out the window, his voice low and deep: "Your Highness, do you think that girl will be alright?"
Shen Yanzhou clenched his fist, his eyes filled with determination: "No. Pei Shaoqing has elite troops at his disposal, and with his horses moving at top speed, he will definitely arrive in Chuzhou before the rebels."
"Miss Shi is so smart, she will definitely be more careful."
But he was unsure of himself – the assassins from the “photo studio” were always ruthless, and the royal guards of Rongyang were even more reckless. Shi Wanxia was in Chuzhou, with only Shi Qing and the Cui family by her side. How could she possibly withstand these thugs?
At this moment, Shi Wanxia in Chuzhou was unaware that she was in danger.
She had just returned from the Rongshui embankment and was sitting in the hall looking at the water conservancy ledgers that Cui Zhihao had brought when Shiqing came in carrying a bowl of lotus seed soup: "Miss, it's getting cold, have some lotus seed soup to warm yourself up."
Shi Wanxia took the bowl and was about to take a bite when she suddenly heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves coming from outside the courtyard, which seemed to be mixed with the sound of weapons clashing.
She frowned, got up, walked to the window, and looked outside.
A dozen or so men in black, wielding long knives, were locked in combat with the guards outside the mansion. The men were incredibly fast, and the guards were no match for them; several fell to the ground in no time.
Shi Qing turned pale with fright and quickly stood in front of Shi Wanxia, shouting, "Miss! Hide!"
Shi Wanxia's heart sank. She remembered that Pei Xuan was probably still on his way, but these people...
Could they be assassins sent by the Prince of Rongyang? And they arrived so quickly?
She gripped the bowl of lotus seed soup tightly, her eyes instantly sharpening.
It seems she has to weather this crisis herself first.
Dozens of men in black surrounded every corner of the government office hall, their faces covered with black cloths, revealing only pairs of eyes as cold as ice.
The curved blades in their hands gleamed coldly, and each slash was aimed at Shi Wanxia.
This group of people received a death order: to take Shi Wanxia's life without any mercy.
Shi Qing held her sword horizontally in front of Shi Wanxia, her back pressed tightly against her young mistress's shoulder.
Her martial arts skills were only rudimentary techniques she had learned at the escort agency. She could handle petty thieves while protecting Young Master Lin on his travels, but against such a ruthless assassin, she was already at her limit.
"Girl, step back a little!"
Shi Qing gritted her teeth, her voice trembling from the effort.
When I blocked that knife, my left shoulder was slashed open with a three-inch-long gash.
Blood mixed with rainwater flowed down, soaking her light blue short jacket and sticking to her arms. Every time she swung her sword, it tore at the wound and caused her pain.
Shi Wanxia was wearing a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), the hem of which was already covered in mud. She had never learned any martial arts, so she could only cling tightly to Shi Qing's clothes, tears mingling with the rain as she cried out, "Shi Qing, don't worry about me! You run away!"
"nonsense!"
Shi Qing turned around abruptly, her sword barely deflecting the curved blade that came from the side; the sparks flashed briefly in the rain before going out.
"My life was given to me by this girl, and if I'm going to escape, I'll take her with me!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the leader of the men in black suddenly changed his tactics. Instead of slashing at Shi Qing with his curved blade, he feinted and then pounced on Shi Wanxia with his toes touching the ground.
The speed was too fast. Shi Qing only had time to turn to the side to block, but she was hit hard on the back by another person's kick and staggered forward two steps.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered into the muddy water in front of him, spreading out in a dark red hue.
The longsword slipped from her trembling hand and stuck in the mud, the red rope on the tassel heavy with rainwater.
Shi Wanxia screamed in fright and reached out to help Shi Qing, but the leader of the men in black grabbed her wrist.
The man's fingers were like iron clamps, squeezing her bones until they ached. The tip of his curved knife was already pressed against her neck, and the icy touch made her tremble all over.
"girl!"
Shi Qing's eyes reddened as she struggled to grab the sword, but her right leg had been struck by it at some point, and every effort she made caused excruciating pain. She could only watch helplessly as Shi Wanxia fell into the enemy's hands.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by several shouts: "Stop!"
Three figures burst through the rain – the one in front was Cui Zhihao. His usual blue cloth robe was soaked and clung to his body, the jade belt around his waist was half loose, and he held a short knife in his hand. Although the blade was short, it exuded a ruthless aura.
Following behind him was Cui Jiu, who was holding a long sword, his knuckles white from gripping it so tightly.
The last to enter was Cui Yu'an, who was carrying a cloth bag and had a pale face, but he still followed closely behind the two of them, his eyes fixed on the man in black who was holding Shi Wanxia captive.
"It's you!"
The leader of the men in black narrowed his eyes, clearly not expecting anyone to interfere. He increased the pressure on Shi Wanxia's neck, and blood began to seep out.
Cui Zhihao didn't care about any of that; he had originally brought Cui Jiu and Cui Yu'an to find Shi Wanxia after hearing the sounds of fighting.
Seeing that Shi Wanxia was restrained, his heart tightened. Ignoring the fact that he had never learned any martial arts, he raised his short knife and rushed towards the leader of the men in black: "Let her go!"
His moves were no match for these desperate criminals.
The leader of the men in black was forced to release Shi Wanxia, dodged the short knife, and slashed at Cui Zhihao's chest with his curved blade.
Cui Zhihao only had time to step back, but he was still a step too slow. His clothes were slashed open, and his chest was grazed by the blade, causing a burning pain.
"Uncle Three!"
Cui Yu'an exclaimed in surprise. He wanted to go forward but was afraid of causing trouble, so he could only anxiously spin around in place. He emptied the medicine bottle and handkerchief from the cloth bag, trying to find something that could be used.
Seeing that the young master was in danger, Cui Jiu rushed forward with his sword and stabbed fiercely at the man in black in the back.
He was a trained assassin with immense strength, and with one strike, he killed the man in black.
Before he could make another move, two men in black surrounded him, attacking from both sides with curved blades, aiming for his vital points.
"careful!"
Shi Qing had somehow already grabbed a sword and rushed over despite the excruciating pain. She parried the curved blade on the left with her sword, but was kicked in the waist by the man in black on the right. She crashed into the broken wall and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Cui Jiu disregarded his own safety and turned to stand in front of Shi Qing, using his sword to firmly block the black-clad man's curved blade.
But no matter how skilled he was, he couldn't fight against so many assassins. He was also stabbed in the back, the wound so deep that the bone was visible.
"Cui Jiu!"
Cui Zhihao's eyes turned red, and he threw the short knife in his hand, rushing towards the black-clad men who were attacking Cui Jiu.
He knew his martial arts skills were lacking, but he couldn't bear to see Cui Jiu get into trouble, and he couldn't bear to see Shi Wanxia fall into the enemy's hands again.
Seeing that the situation was getting chaotic and fearing that further delay would attract more people, the leader of the men in black blew a sharp whistle.
Upon hearing the whistle, the five men in black surrounding them exchanged a glance, feinted at Cui Zhihao and Cui Jiu, and then turned and retreated out of the post station.
Before leaving, the leader of the men in black gave Shi Wanxia a cold look and said, "Miss Shi, you won't be so lucky next time we meet."
The man in black quickly disappeared into the rain, leaving only the sound of rain and the panting of the crowd in the government office.
Cui Jiu staggered and leaned against the wall, blood still flowing from the wound on his back, but he smiled and looked at Cui Zhihao: "Young Master, your injury?"
Cui Zhihao quickly stepped forward to support him, his voice choked with emotion: "Cui Jiu, don't say these things, let me bandage your wound first."
Cui Yu'an quickly picked up a handkerchief from the ground and ran to Shi Wanxia's side to wipe away the blood and tears from her face: "Miss Shi, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Shi Wanxia shook her head and looked at Shi Qing.
Shi Qing leaned against the broken wall, her face as pale as paper, still clutching the chipped sword tightly in her hand. When she saw Shi Wanxia looking over, she forced a smile: "Miss, I...I'm fine. It's good that you're alright."
"Shiqing..."
Shi Wanxia walked over, squatted down beside her, gently held her hand, and tears fell again.
"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be so badly injured."
"What is the girl saying?"
Shi Qing shook her head weakly, "Protecting you is my duty, and I would still do it if it happened again."
After bandaging Cui Jiu's wound, Cui Zhihao walked over to Shi Qing, took the medicine bottle from Cui Yu'an, and handed it to her: "Bandage her first, then I'll go find Prince Lin and ask him to send people to protect the government office."